Nixon Mask's debut has been a long time coming. The ultra-confessional solo album from Mail The Horse's Brendan Smith is worth the wait. Set to release BBQ Downer on October 13th via Fire Talk Records, it's a remarkable collection of earnest rock 'n' roll that's full of real sentiment and stoned-folk tendencies. It's a record that will have you both feeling Smith's fragile disposition and swooning all the same. BBQ Downer is full of dusty heartbreak ballads and the resulting growth that comes with it.

Lead single and album opener "Defection" sets the perfect tone; a song built on washed out guitars and syrupy melodies that are always down but never out. The tight rhythms and lulling guitar arpeggios swirl about the dreamy composition, but its Smith's twangy vocal drawl that ties everything together, singing about spirits of the underworld, a seemingly inability to make plans, and of course "defection on the rise." Just as that sense of longing begins to sting, a slight lyrical shift into tongue-and-cheek territory, and cupcake disease takes a hold.